Ethan Perlman

Cafe cashier and crossing guard Steve Savianese shares his experience and his impact on PV culture.

Pascack Valley cafeteria cashier and crossing guard Steve Savianese does way more for Pascack Valley culture than most students can see.

Known simply as Steve, he has been working at PV since March 2016, when he was hired to cover for a colleague who was sick.

“I used to serve lunch by the old gym,” Steve said. “I used to make pre-order salads for students.”

Today, Steve works in the main cafeteria to serve lunches and is a crossing guard. He starts his day every morning by crossing students outside PV.

“At seven o’clock, I go outside by [Cottage Place] and when they’re all in, I come in at 8:30,” Steve said.

After school starts, Steve heads back in and works the cash register in the cafeteria, yet he does a lot more that students often don’t see. Behind the scenes, he is restocking items and helping with deliveries.

“When I come in, I usually take care of the register and if there’s any deliveries, I put all the food away and restock,” he said.

However, Steve doesn’t just do his duties in the cafeteria, he also extends his influence in PV culture into after-school sports. He tries his best to show up to as many sporting events at Valley as he can.

“I’m too old to play now, so I enjoy watching the teams play,” Steve said. “It’s fun for them and enjoyable for me.”

Even though Steve doesn’t know every sport well, he still goes out to as many PV sports games as he can to give his support to the team and the players.

“I like baseball and basketball, and even soccer. I don’t understand soccer, but everybody likes to see support, and it’s good for them,” he said.

Steve enjoys baseball the most, but his favorite PV sports memory is from a girls basketball game.

“I believe it was Julie Vasallo who hit a buzzer-beater in a state game to beat Old Tappan,” he said. “I remember everybody just jumping around and all over the place. It was pretty wild.”

Steve also touched on how much he loves the atmosphere at PV, specifically the students.

“They keep me young and they make me laugh,” he said. “And they’re all really nice.”

Not only is Steve a big part of PV, he also works at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. He’s been working in guest services at the stadium since it opened in 2010.

“I work all the concerts and games, so I’ve seen Taylor Swift three times and everyone was a little jealous,” he said.

Steve enjoys all the games and is excited for the World Cup Final, which was announced for 2026. However, the Giants games and concerts are some of his favorite events.

“I like all the concerts. They’re all good. I’ve seen some old-time stuff like Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC,” he said. “I’m a Giants fan so I like all the games.”

And even though Steve didn’t grow up with Valley’s green and white colors, it now feels like a home to him.

“I graduated from high school and we were always red and black, so I wasn’t sure about white and green, but it grows on you,” he said, “the students are great here and I love the atmosphere.”